Improvement in water-wheels



NITED S'IA'riis PATENT FFICE.,

` THOMAS LEFFEL, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND v HENRYC. BARNETT, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 78,879, dated J une16,1863.

declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure lis anelevation 5 Fig. 2, aplan, partly in section; Fig. 3, a perspective viewof one of the gates Fig. 4, an elevation of the wheel; Fig. 5, anelevation of one side of one of the oats Fig. 6, an elevation oftheopposite side of the same; Fig. 7, an elevation, showing the end of oneof the same.

The same letters in all the figures indicate Vthe same parts.

My invention relates to that class of waterwheels in which the water isreceived horizontally, and, passing through a series of gates, (whichperform also the functions of guides for giving proper' direction to thewater,) is discharged upon the periphery of the wheel, and escapesthrough the center of the wheel.

My improvements consist, first, in a novel form of bucket or float 5second, in the mnn- 11er of attaching said float.

In the annexed drawing, A is the cylinder, which is composed of avertical tube, a, large enough to receive the wheel, and a horizontalflange, a'. This tube is intended to be set in the bottom of a flume orfore-bay, and it may be connected with the tail-Water by an airtighttubular extension of any required length. The horizontal ange a' restson the door, and sustains the weight of the casing and wheel. B is ametallic ring, consisting of a tubular portion, b', and a horizontalilange, b. The diameter of the tube is sufficient to permit the wheel tobe passed therethrough. These dan ges are connected by bolts A', passingthrough tubular columns, on which the upper tlange is supported andmaintained in a position parallel with the, plane of the lower flangea'. The open space thus left between the anges is lled by a series ofoscillating gates, D, which Iprefer to form substantially as shown.These gates, turning upon bolts D', passing through lugs thereon, serveboth to shut oli or regulate the supply of water, and to control thedirection thereof. -The levers or arms D" are rigidly attached to thegates at their center of oscillation, and extend outwardly radially tothe wheel, where they are connected by pins or bolts, on which theyturn, to the ring E. This is a metallic ring, concentric with the wheeland casing, and having bearings, as shown, against the edge of theflange b. It rests on the levers D", and is caused to revolve far enoughto open and close the gates by means of the rack E' thereon, meshinginto the pinion F attached to said flange. The shaft of said pinion maybe conducted to such place as is most convenient for operating thegates. As the ring is turned the levers D" will be moved with it, sothat, turning on their fulcrums D', they shall open or close the gate D.The dome G rests on the tube b', being united thereto by bolts passingthrough lugs on the tube. This dome covers the wheel,'and on top of itis cast a bush, G', inclosing the shaft H, and iitted to receivefollower-blocks in the ordinary manner, the only peculiarity being thatthis bush is cast with, and forms a part of, the dome, instead of beingsupported therefrom on collars, arms, or in other manner. The lower endof the wheel-shaft rests on a bridge-tree, I, which, instead of boltingto the cylinder A, as is ordinarily done, I propose to cast in 011epiece therewith., the construction of the dome Gr and the tubular case Bbeing such as to allow the Wheel to be introduced into, or withdrawnfrom, the casin g from above. The case herein described may be used withany of the class of water-wheels alluded to. I prefer, however, a wheelof the following peculiar `construction K is the wheel. It is secured tothe shaft which passes through acentral hub. From this hub there areradial arms K', supporting a ring, K", to which thel floats L areattached in the following inanner: The float is constructed with acentral longitudinal iin, l, which is received into acorrespondinggroove on the periphery of the ring K". The iioat is then secured bybolts passing through the ring K" into the oat. The float is of thepeculiar form shown. On the edge it has a parabolic curve. It has acentral longitudinal ridge, and the sides are turned outward to form twodiverging issues from the point to the aperture of discharge.

Th e water, enterin g through the gates, presses against the floats,forcing them forward in the direction ot' its current, while the water,having transferred its moving force to the wheel, falls behind, and,passing through the apertures formed above and below the ring, betweenthe point of one bucket and the heel of theone on which it has beenacting, escapes into the center of the wheel, thence falling through thecylinder A into the tail-race.

As both the upper and lower sides of the Wheel are precisely alike, theWheel may be used to run either to the right or left, as may be desired,by simply reversing it on the shaft. The guides, ofcourse, will requireto be adapted to the direction in which the wheel is to run. The pointsin which this wheel and casing are distinguished't'rom all others are,the peculiar form of the bucket, and the mode of attaching it to thering K, so that the water pressing against thebucketsball be discharged,both below and above the ring, into the center of the wheel, iiowingthrough the space between the point of one bucket or 11o-at and the heelof the float against which it has 'act-f ed, there being no otherobstruction to its discharge into the center ofthe wheel than thatcaused by the narrow ring to which the floats are attached.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A wheel formed ot' a series ot' single floats, the faces of which areconstructed in the form described, and which are centrally attached toa-ring, K", and arranged to receive and discharge the watersubstantially in the manner set forth.

2. The combination of the floats L and ring K, when respectivelyconstructed and connected substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereot'I have signed my name to this speeitication in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS LEFFEL.

